Robinson, came out. There is some regional difference in ritual practice across Haiti, and branches of the religion include Rada, Daome, Ibo, Nago, Dereal, Manding, Petwo, and Kongo. GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? PDF Traditional African Religion and Modern Christianity in Zaire - JSTOR So, "Lord, help Thou my unbelief!" Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors, Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects. Omissions? %PDF-1.3 The original constitution defined the organization's mandate as providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among ethnologists. It is the southern two-thirds of Africa (including Madagascar) which we can rightly call Christian Africa, as the northern one-third is Muslim Africa. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was. OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. Rituals are aimed at maintaining a harmonious relationship with cosmic powers, and many have associated myths that explain their significance. Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. Much of Oluponas work is an attempt to provide a fuller understanding of the complexity and richness of African indigenous thought and practice by viewing it not as a foil or as a useful comparative to better understand Western religions, but as a system of thought and belief that should be valued and understood for its own ideas and contribution to global religions. The rapid growth of many religions in Africa and the revival of AIR in postcolonial Africa have made inter-religious dialogue an urgent necessity. colonization_terms_apush.docx - ` Units 1 and 2 Vocabulary In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. Christianity is more dominant in the south, while Islam is more dominant in the north. Currently I am about to complete a book on this question of the encounter between the biblical faith and African religion. Updates? Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and Roman Catholicism by the descendants of the Dahomean, Kongo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups who had been enslaved and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then) and partly Christianized by Roman Catholic . African immigrants and slaves worked to maintain traditional religious and social practices in their new surroundings. 1996 Canadian Anthropology Society As for the belief in God, it appears that the Bira have utilized Christianity to make their traditional God Mbali less remote and more caring, a change which has also made the Christian God more compassionate and forgiving of sins. 0000014207 00000 n We have already noted that the overseas missionaries did not bring God to Africa. Humans are spirits who inhabit the visible world. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. Everywhere he went in southwestern Nigeria, he never opposed or spoke out against African culture including initiation rites, festivals, and traditional Yoruba dress as long as it didnt directly conflict with Christianity. w?0t7/Oa84P]T}T}?gHq.qsRnkc;]X*s1!E"l^~K_/|j p z|9~p uf:}[Mc|4!#"Zg!/vc _~|oyuQ'dX :?NmU)?oPSw?6#?[OUN@6oz{j;\e7nWsV~XyU4vMm4#f4c:[Wefkd&88XB|cMh6)mt<4M8}; *:7??+0:0$! I should add that without claiming to be full members of indigenous traditions, there are many professed Christians and Muslims who participate in one form of indigenous religious rituals and practices or another. OLUPONA: Yes, and the pluralistic nature of African-tradition religion is one of the reasons for its success in the diaspora. mixing of Christianity and traditional African religions What were maroon communities? It will keep me chewing for a long time, and it will most certainly feed my theological development. The bottom line then is that Africans who still wholly practice African indigenous religions are only about 10 percent of the African population, a fraction of what it used to be only a century ago, when indigenous religions dominated most of the continent. Abstract. Updates? (back to text), 2 The World Religion Database estimates that roughly four-in-ten people in Guinea Bissau are Muslim and approximately one-in-ten are Christian, with the rest of the population associated with traditional African religions. ), In addition to expressing high levels of belief in the protective power of sacrificial offerings and sacred objects, upwards of one-in-five people in every country say they believe in the evil eye, or the ability of certain people to cast malevolent curses or spells. I cannot claim that I have witnessed much progress in that quest at the organizational level, but perhaps I had expected too much. He must have been active among African peoples as he was among the Jewish people. 300 ce). Afro-American Religious Syncretism in Brazil and the United States: A An old African adage says: The sky is large enough for birds to fly around without one having to bump into the other.. startxref Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Eating pattern tied to 24% reduction in cardiovascular, cancer mortality in people diagnosed with the chronic condition, HMS/Brigham study shows most advertised medicines little better than other treatment options. Corrections? One of the things these diaspora African religions testify to is the beauty of African religions to engage a devotee on many spiritual levels. The church is composed largely of people who come out of the African religious background. APUSH Unit 1 Flashcards | Quizlet In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. Below is the article summary. A semi-annual journal, it publishes peer-reviewed articles in both French and English devoted to social and cultural issues whether they are pre-historic, historic, contemporary, biological, linguistic, applied or theoretical in orientation. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Many other familial feasts (for the sacred children, for the poor, for particular ancestors) as well as initiations and funerary rituals occur throughout the year. %PDF-1.7 % Anthropologica Since Christianity came in contact with the traditional religion, there has always been a sharp conflict between traditionalists and Christians. The Church in Africa, 1450-1950. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main 0000005714 00000 n The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center Indigenous African religions are pragmatic. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. In four countries (Chad, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Tanzania), the number of Christians and Muslims is more equally divided, with a ratio of less than two-to-one in either direction.2 The other countries surveyed are predominantly Christian with Muslim minorities of varying sizes. Black Americans who identify with a religion are most likely to say belief in God is essential to what their faith means to them (84%), while large majorities say the same about opposing racism (76%) and sexism (71%). Its aim is to develop an extensive library of resources, representing many different points of view, but all written from the perspective of sound scholarship. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Since I myself had never heard any lectures on African religion, I set out to do research on the subject in order to teach the course adequately. Indigenous religion in Africa is the way Africans understand and worship their god. The councils programs in response to these problems are impressive. Omissions? The success of Christianity and Islam on the African continent in the last 100 years has been extraordinary, but it has been, unfortunately, at the expense of African indigenous religions. 0000002505 00000 n GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? The idea is that the traditional African practitioner who constructed that amulet believes in the efficacy of other faiths and religions; there is no conflict in his mind between his traditional African spirituality and another faith. The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. 0 About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. The WCCs very existence as a council of churches is a living hope. The introduced religions of Islam (in northern Africa) and Christianity (in southern Africa) are now the continents major religions, but traditional religions still play an important role, especially in the interior of sub-Saharan Africa. AR-Ndhdnn}H\{%jC!a,]c8F`1LE(3%"w+tj}](q w[,p8i$dd$GrMRD K4wLG4@h\WfPY Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. That book was followed by a flurry of literature on the so-called "death of God" theology (if "theology" it was, for I would call it "atheology"). They were names of one and the same God, the creator of the world, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. (back to text), 3 Nigerias 2006 census did not ask about religious affiliation, and recent estimates of the numbers of Muslims and Christians in the country vary. At Makerere University I taught New Testament, African religion and other courses. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates, Why police resist reforms to militarization, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Low-carb diet can help manage progression of Type 2 diabetes, Those breezy TV drug ads? Updates? I want to walk with Jesus of Nazareth on the shores of Lake Galilee and the hillsides of Judea, through the gates of Jerusalem. Christianity in Africa dates to the very inception of the church. The rural Bira of northeastern Zaire have been exposed to the Christian message for well over half a century. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. Did he then reveal himself only in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and other personalities of the Bible? At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. In February 1974 a group of 120 anthropologists launched the Canadian Ethnology Society/socit canadienne d'ethnologie (CESCE), because they felt there was room for an association of anthropologists separate from the Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association (CSAA) which was dominated by sociologists. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. Theological development in Africa must inevitably grow within this religious setting. While Islam and Christianity tend to be overtly resistant to adopting traditional African religious ideas or practices, indigenous African religions have always accommodated other beliefs. I simply and honestly answered him that "for us in Africa, God is not dead." Dr. Mbiti is on the staff of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. A subscription to Anthropologica is included in CASCA's annual membership fee. African development. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. <> A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. They proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. Instead, God brought them, for the God described in the Bible is none other than the God who was already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Authoring or editing more than half a dozen books on religion and African culture (including the recent African Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press), Olupona has researched topics ranging from the indigenous religions of Africa to the religious practices of Africans who have settled in America. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge in 1963, the year that Honest to God, by J.A.T. APUSH Content Quiz #2 Flashcards | Quizlet Orthodox Christianity, although influenced by other religions, generally looked negatively upon these syncretistic movements. Some African diasporans are returning to the continent to reconnect with their ancestral traditions, and they are encouraging and organizing the local African communities to reclaim this heritage. I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. Faith in The One God in Christian and African Traditional Religions: a In Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia and Mozambique, Muslims account for between 15% and 30% of survey respondents. GAZETTE: What will Africa lose if it loses its African indigenous worldview? But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Next: Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 2: Commitment to Christianity and Islam, Chapter 3: Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices, Chapter 4: Interreligious Harmony and Tensions, In the U.S. and Western Europe, people say they accept Muslims, but opinions are divided on Islam, In Western Europe, familiarity with Muslims is linked to positive views of Muslims and Islam, Q&A: Measuring attitudes toward Muslims and Jews in Western Europe, Europes Muslim population will continue to grow but how much depends on migration, The Growth of Germanys Muslim Population, Size & Demographic Characteristics of Religious Groups, Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care, Gender pay gap in U.S. hasnt changed much in two decades. The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker. Ritual functionaries include priests, elders, rainmakers, diviners, and prophets. Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. "The success of Christianity and Islam on the African continent in the last 100 years has been extraordinary, but it has been, unfortunately, at the expense of African indigenous religions," said Olupona. Later, my theological studies in America and England did not challenge this position, since that was not a living issue for my professors and fellow students. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, between 10% and 15% of respondents are Muslim. African spirituality simply acknowledges that beliefs and practices touch on and inform every facet of human life, and therefore African religion cannot be separated from the everyday or mundane. There is no centralized hierarchy, no single leader, and no official spokesperson, but various groups sometimes attempt to create such official structures. Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. African Traditional Religion in the Context of Christian and Islamic 93 0 obj Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. trailer Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. One African theologian, Gabriel Setiloane, has even argued that the concept of God which the missionaries presented to the Sotho-Tswana peoples was a devaluation of the traditional currency of Modimo (God) among the Sotho-Tswana. That testifies to the enduring power of indigenous religion and its ability to domesticate Christianity and Islam in modern Africa. This includes five countries (Cameroon, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal) where more than half the population uses traditional healers. But today that is not the case due to more exclusive-minded types of Christianity and Islam that see patronizing indigenous African beliefs and practices as violating the integrity of their Christian or Muslim principles, but I believe that one can maintain ones religious integrity and also embrace an African worldview. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. I want to see his healing hand, to hear his word that exorcises evil spirits. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. OLUPONA: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. Thus, Mbali-God is a creative response on the part of the Bira to the syncretic religious encounter. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. As the map also shows, the ratio of Christians to Muslims increases the further south one goes in the continent. I am not a historian, and I have not done careful thinking in this direction. They are not mutually exclusive. The primary goal and activity of Vodou is to sevi lwa (serve the spirits)to offer prayers and perform various devotional rites directed at God and particular spirits in return for health, protection, and favour. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (201516). He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. In Nigeria, the population in 1900 included 4.2 million Muslims and 180,000 Christians. 75 19 Vodou | Definition, History, West African Vodun, & Facts On returning home, the learned professor wrote an article using my brief answer as his title.